17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. ~ John 19:17-24
The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is my cross; He took it for me. His cross is the supreme expression of God’s incredible love for all of mankind. Throughout the Old Testament, God foretold that the Messiah would be crucified for you and me. Psalm 22 gives detailed description of what the Lord Jesus went through on our behalf.
In Psalm 22:1, we read, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? In Psalm 22:14-17, we read, I’m poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it’s melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaves to my jaws; You lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers have encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me.”
At Golgotha or "the place of the skull" is the place God dealt with the problem of our sin and death. A few hundred yards outside the Damascus gate in Jerusalem, it was the very spot upon which Abraham was called to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice to God. In a wonderful picture of Jesus bearing his cross, Isaac had to bear the wood for the sacrifice up that hill.
The cross was an instrument of torture and execution. Death on the cross was shameful, excruciating, and often prolonged. The Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross by both hands and feet, but that is not what ended His life. People were known to hang on their cross for weeks, but not the Lord Jesus. It was probably the great loss of blood during His flogging that caused Him to by dead by the ninth hour or three in the afternoon.
God used the evil schemes of men to accomplish our salvation. And He used the worst of men to accomplish the greatest thing He ever did, the salvation of the willing. God did this because He’s rich in mercy, and He loved us with an everlasting love.
Everything that happened in our text fulfilled Scripture. This is massive evidence, because the ones who are doing all of this to the Lord Jesus were not His followers. They don’t know anything about the Scripture, these Roman soldiers. There’s no effort on their part to fulfill anything. They’re just doing what they normally do at a crucifixion.
In v.18 we also read, “There they crucified him, and with him two others.” The other gospel writers describe these other two as thieves, rebels, insurrectionists. That too is a fulfillment of prophecy. In Isaiah 53 we read, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” One of those thieves was the first trophy of His grace. The Lord Jesus said to this one, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
In v.19-22, it is highlighted, again, that there was a sign placed above the Lord Jesus that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews." Although objected to by the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate placed this sign in Aramaic, Latin and Greek for all in the known world to read and understand.
And then, in v.23-24, we read, “23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.”
In the Old Testament, the garment of the high priest was without seam. The undergarment of the Lord Jesus was seamless. As is noted in the book of Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is the better and rightful High Priest. The function the high priest had was to build a bridge between God and man. The Lord Jesus here wears the seamless garment as did the high priest, because He is the true bridge builder. He is God’s perfect High Priest.
Finally, according to v.24, "divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." This was the fulfillment of Psalm 22:18 which reads, “They divide my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." There is too much design in this passage for us to turn a blind eye to it. I trust that you have entered into a personal relationship with God by believing in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
